When icons attack

In yesterday's New York Times, Gloria Steinem declared that "Women Are Never Front-Runners," and evoked an image of a female Obama who would never be considered a viable presidential candidate because of her gender.

I'm sorry—what?

Hillary Clinton has been the consistent front-runner right up until last week's Iowa caucus results, and women are never front-runners? A black woman wouldn't be as viable a candidate as either a black man or a white woman and it all comes down to gender?

This bizarre bit of opinion journalism from the iconic Ms. Steinem manages to reinforce mainstream stereotypes of feminists as incessant complainers who bend the truth in order to make a point and to show off some of the casual, privileged race-blindness at the root of ongoing intrafeminist battles.

Oy.

More on this at Racialicious, AngryBlackBitch, Diary of an Anxious Black Woman, A Woman's Ecdysis, Avast! Feminist Conspiracy!, the Huffington Post, and Pandagon.